Demon Child
by MeeLee
Summary: [One-shot] [Ren-centric] Ren did not always have golden eyes. When he was born, his eyes were black as the midnight sky. But then one day, he made his father angry...Please R&R.


**A/N: **Anyone who's read my other SK works knows that I'm usually a HoroRen writer, but a couple of weeks ago I just didn't feel like studying for the IB test and so I sat down at my computer around 11:30, telling myself that I would only write the first couple of paragraphs. I didn't get up again until around 1:30. Go me.

Either way, no, this is NOT a yaoi or shounen-ai fic. Yes, Horohoro makes an appearance, but he is only a minor character and merely there to further the plot. This one-shot is Ren-centric, emphasis on Ren.

Okay, so I don't know about you, but I've always been fascinated by Ren's eyes. I think I just have a thing for golden eyes (which is why I worship Youko Kurama), and I was inspired for this fic when I was watching an AMV and noticed a clip of a young Ren who was portrayed with black eyes. I'm sure it was just part of the black-and-white memory sequence, but still it got me thinking, so this came out of it.

All right, this A/N is long enough. Horizontal bars indicate the beginning and end of the memory sequence because FFN doesn't allow display of asterisks anymore. Have fun reading.

As always, reviews are appreciated and flames are ignored.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Shaman King. _-MeeLee_

* * *

_FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES: _

**Didi **- Little brother

**Jie **- Big sister

**Emeng - **"nightmare"

**Heian **- "darkness"

* * *

Demon Child

**BEGIN**

He was sure that no one would be up this late, and so he crept through the dark hallways without the slightest fear of meeting anyone as he made his way toward the kitchen. Stepping across the smooth, polished tile, he opened the refridgerator without a sound, reached in, and took out a bottle of milk.

Taking a seat at the nearby table, Tao Ren took a thoughtful sip, looking out the window at the dark world outside. There was no moon and it was pitch black, yet he could see. He could see everything.

Ren took a deep breath, relaxing in the darkness and complete silence that could only be achieved in the middle of the night. It was so quiet now, especially with Yoh and the rest of his friends all asleep in their respective rooms. Ren liked quiet. It always gave him a chance to sort out his thoughts.

A soft thud and a curse in the distance shattered the tranquility of the night. Ren frowned. This was just great. Right when he thought he could have a little alone time, it had to be ruined by that stupid Ainu-baka.

He watched quietly as Usui Horokeu finally succeeded in feeling his way to the kitchen, one hand pressed to the wall, the other massaging his hip where he had apparently bumped into something, rather hard judging from the sound he had made earlier. Ren did not move and said nothing; Horohoro did not even see him as the Ainu slowly made his way across the kitchen toward the refridgerator, unable to see beyond his own nose. The Chinese choked back a snicker when the ice shaman finally found what he was looking for—by slamming face-first into it.

Horohoro cursed under his breath, rubbing his nose as he felt around for the handle. He finally located it in the pitch blackness and was just about to open the refridgerator when a soft voice said, "Sneaking food out of the fridge again, Ainu-baka?"

He was so startled that he jumped, tripped over his own feet, and fell backward onto the floor. Groaning as he rubbed his backside, he got to his feet and peered into the darkness, yet could not see a thing. "All right, where are you?" he asked.

Ren smiled. "Right here," he said, and shifted so that he was facing Horohoro, knowing that the Ainu would be able to see what dim light there was reflected in his golden eyes.

He saw Horohoro straighten upon seeing those eyes, though the Ainu had to squint hard just to distinguish them from the rest of the darkness. "Ren?" he said. "What're you doing here?"

"Same thing as you, apparently," Ren answered smoothly, "Except that I did a much better job of it."

"Hm." Horohoro reached for the refridgerator handle again as quietly as he could, hoping the darkness would be able to cover him, but Ren's voice stopped him.

"Forget it, Horo," Ren said. "You keep this up and you'll get so fat you won't be able to see your own feet."

"Since when do you care?" the Ainu snapped.

"Since now," Ren said. "Now screw off."

Horohoro gave a grunt of annoyance. "Yes, Your Highness," he said with a sigh, dropping his hand and turning.

"Horohoro."

"What?"

Ren pointed, even though he knew Horohoro could not see him. "Turn a little to your right and walk straight, otherwise you're going to hit the wall."

He suspected a prank, but the Ainu obeyed anyway. "Thanks." He took two steps forward and then—

"_Ow—_Ren!"

Ren only shrugged. "I said to turn right, idiot," he said. "You turned left. It's your own damn fault."

"Hmph." Horohoro pivoted to his right, and within seconds was through the kitchen doorway and in the hall. "Whoa, Ren," he said, turning to where he thought his friend might be, even though he could not see a thing. "Man, sometimes I swear you can see in the dark."

There was a pause before Ren replied. "How would you know that I can't?"

"Because humans can't see in the dark, genius," Horohoro said. "Even you should know that."

Again there was a long silence. Finally, Ren spoke. "Night, Horo," he said.

"Night."

Ren listened carefully as the Ainu's footsteps faded away. When the click of a door closing in the distance announced Horohoro's return to his bedroom, the Chinese sighed softly and put his bottle of milk down on the table, turning to survey the kitchen—the kitchen, every part of which was at the moment outlined in an eerie, pale glow. He could see the refridgerator, the sink, the cupboards, the dish rack—all with stunning clarity, as if he was looking at them in the middle of the day.

No one knew of his secret—not Horohoro, not Yoh, not any of his other friends. Only Tao Jun knew. Even his father had not asked any questions, which Ren found rather ironic because Tao En had been the cause of this—his secret, his gift…his curse. It was because of his father that he saw things at night as if they had been painted with some fluorescent chemical, but that was not all. No, his secret encompassed more than just the ability to see in the dark. There were his weaknesses too—how he risked being blinded if he focused on a bright light, how at the height of the afternoon anything that was more than twenty meters away from him was but a fuzzy blur, how his eyes always hurt at the end of a sunny day.

His eyes…his cursed eyes. Golden as the sunrise…or the sunset. It was not a natural color; no human had these eyes. But then again, Ren reflected, these eyes were anything but human.

_Demon child, hee-hee-hee!_

Ren sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head on his hand. How he wished it had not happened…

* * *

"_Didi!_" Thirteen-year-old Tao Jun placed her hands on her hips in exasperation. "Tao Ren, you come here right now! You're late for your lesson!"

There was no reply, and Jun sighed. Where in the world had her little brother run off to this time? She made her way slowly along the white stone path through the beautiful garden surrounding the Tao mansion, calling Ren's name. Still there was no response, and when half an hour of searching turned up nothing, Jun began to worry. She was just about to call some guards for help when she heard it.

"Worthless child!" the booming voice bellowed, echoing eerily. "Talk back to me again and I'll have your tongue severed!" This was followed by a loud thud and then a pained cry in a familiar voice.

Jun responded instantly to the sound, running quickly toward En's throne room. Rounding the corner, she immediately recognized the dark shape lying on the floor outside her father's compound, yet she dared not advance until the massive doors finally swung shut. Only then did she step out of the bushes, making her way quickly over to her fallen brother.

"Ren," she whispered, gently turning him onto his back and biting her lip when she saw the long, dark slash starting from his right hip and ending at the front of his left shoulder. Half of his torn shirt was already soaked in blood. "Ren, are you all right?" She touched the wound gently.

Eight-year-old Tao Ren yelped in response, curling up into a ball and shivering. His eyes were tightly shut, and Jun could see the tears forming at the corners though she knew her brother would die before he allowed them to fall. "Ren," she said, touching his shoulder. "Ren, look at me." She always did this whenever En hurt him, whenever their father punished him for disobedience. She knew that once her brother looked at her, he would be all right.

"Ren, did you hear me?" Jun frowned when her brother did not respond. "Didi, _look at me._"

Very slowly, Ren turned to face her and opened his eyes. Jun smiled. Her brother had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, black as the night sky and hard as diamonds. "Tell me what happened," she said.

Ren had to swallow hard in order to get rid of enough of the blood clogging his throat to speak. "Ba is a bastard," he said simply.

Jun shook her head slowly. "Ren, you mustn't say things like that."

"But he is," her brother answered, and Jun saw the cold determination returning to his black eyes. "And one day, I'll bring him down. One day, Jie. Soon." Jun smiled. Yes, Ren was going to be all right.

Pain tore through his body, and Tao Ren screamed out when he hit the floor, hearing a dull creak as several ribs cracked. A shadow fell on him, and peering through his blood-caked eyes he could barely distinguish the towering figure of Tao En looming over him. His father sneered. "How pathetic," he said, his voice booming in the massive room. "Next time you try to kill me, have a better plan, hm?"

Ren gritted his teeth, trying not to cry out as the agony washed over him in waves. He coughed, tasting blood in his mouth as he hissed, "Do it."

En cocked an eyebrow. "Kill you, you mean?" he said, and smiled. "No, my son. I will not kill you. You do not deserve death."

Despite his pain, Ren still found the strength to smirk. "If you don't, I'll come back to try again," he said.

"Yes, now that would be a problem, wouldn't it?" En said, and stroked his chin as if in deep thought. "I admit it would be rather bothersome having an ungrateful son always trying to murder me." He paused, and then his smile broadened as he regarded Ren much as a snake watches a mouse. "I suppose I'll just have to ensure that you won't be able to try anything like that again. I will…debilitate you."

Ren's eyes widened at his father's words. What did that mean? What was En going to do? For perhaps the first time in his life he felt cold, naked fear surge through his mind as En reached forward, using his massive hand to cover his son's face.

No, not his face. His eyes.

Fourteen-year-old Tao Jun spilled her tea when she heard the scream. It was high-pitched and distorted, the kind of cry a dying animal might make, and for a moment she thought that perhaps one of the palace horses had gotten into an accident—until she recognized the tone as Ren's.

In an instant she was on her feet, running toward her father's throne room as fast as she could, her wooden soles clicking on the stone. Her dark blue qipao snagged once on the railing, ripping part of the fabric off of her waist and leaving a long red mark, yet she ignored it and kept running, focused only on one thing: getting to Ren before her father could kill him.

She reached the front of the throne room within only a few more moments, and saw to her relief that the huge doors were already closed. Stepping into the clearing, she rushed toward Ren who was currently curled up on the floor, his entire body trembling, turned away from her and toward the wall. Jun immediately knew that it was serious when she heard his wracking sobs.

"Ren!" She hurried to him, dropping to her knees and touching his shoulder. His body jolted at her touch and he curled up even more tightly. Jun frowned. What was wrong? She could see no serious wounds on his body, and yet she knew he had been badly hurt because he was crying—and Tao Ren never cried.

"Ren, what happened?" When he did not reply, she frowned. "Didi, look at me."

"No!" His response was half-sobbed, half-screamed.

Jun furrowed her brow. Was it that serious? "Turn around and look at me so I can see what's wrong," she said, trying to steady her breathing.

"I…I can't."

"Can't what?"

"I can't look at you." And Ren burst into another fit of sobbing.

Jun shook her head. Now he's being a pouty crybaby, she thought to herself as she placed her hands on her hips and said in a stern voice, "Ren, look at me _now._"

For a long time Ren did not move, but finally she saw him begin to turn. Jun breathed a sigh of relief as her brother came to face her. Now he would be all right.

His face came into the sunlight then. And Tao Jun screamed.

Tao Ren came slowly awake with the sunlight playing on his face, and opening his eyes he saw…nothing. Darkness, as it had been for the last month or so. Sighing, he rose slowly to a sitting position, pushing back the thin blanket and swinging his legs off of the bed. Reaching to his right, he felt around on the nightstand for a few moments before finally finding the thick white cloth. Picking it up he tied it carefully around his eyes. There was really no need for the blindfold, he knew, but still…it was rather unsightly to walk about with two empty sockets.

Straightening, he took a step forward and promptly tripped over something hard, falling to his hands and knees. He cursed heavily upon impact, rising to a kneeling position and kicking the offending object away; he heard it strike the wall and splinter. That was when he heard the light footsteps approaching and quickly shot to his feet, steadying himself, determined not to look weak in front of anyone—which was rather difficult considering he had no eyes.

He heard the door open, and then a voice that was distinctly his sister's gave a sigh. "Ren, I had that stool handcrafted for you," she said. "Did you have to break it?"

He frowned. "In case you haven't noticed, I couldn't see it," he said.

There was a long pause before Jun replied in a subdued voice, "Yes, well." She walked forward, setting the tray with his breakfast onto the table before walking over to the closet and pulling out a new change of clothes. Ren did not protest as she helped him dress; now that he was blind, he had to rely on Jun for a lot of things, and despite how he hated his weakness, he was grateful that she still accepted him. No one else might, but Jun did.

She smiled when she had finished. "There," she said. "Now go on and eat something."

Ren sniffed the air tentatively before frowning. "No milk?" he asked.

His sister blinked. "We ran out, sorry," she said. "But I did manage to find some—"

"Tea," Ren said. "Yes, I know."

Jun frowned. "How did you know it was tea?"

Ren looked confused. "I can smell it, that's how," he said. "Can't you?"

The daoshi shook her head. "I can't smell a thing," she said, but then her eyes lit up. "Ren, you think maybe because you lost your sight, your sense of smell is becoming more acute?"

For a long time her brother did not reply. When he finally did speak, his voice was soft and cold. "If that's the case, I'd rather have sight than smell," he said, and seated himself at the table. Jun bit her lip and said nothing. He was suffering, she knew. He suffered every day, wandering through his dark world, mocked and scorned by everyone for his weakness. If only she could find some way to…

Ren turned when he heard his sister's gasp. "Jie, what's wrong?" he asked.

She did not answer for a long time. Then: "Ren, you're not doing anything today, are you?" she asked.

He frowned. "Does it look like I will be?"

For once, his sister did not melt into an embarrassed silence. Instead she simply said, "Wait for me," and before he could protest she was gone.

He waited for several long hours, the darkness of his world contributing to his confusion, before he finally heard her footsteps returning. The instant the door opened, he turned toward it and snapped, "Where the hell have you been?"

He felt her take his arm then. "Come with me," Jun said.

"What—hey!" He snatched his arm out of her grasp as she pulled him toward the open door—he could tell it was still open because he sensed the flow of air. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

There was a pause before his sister answered in a low whisper, "There may be a way to help you."

For a moment he was so confused that he could not reply. "How?" he finally asked.

"Not now," Jun said. "Just come with me. Hurry now." Still confused, he allowed her to guide him out the door and down the hallway. It was bright afternoon; he could tell because of the angle of the sunlight hitting his skin. When they came to a stop, he knew that they were at the front of the palace because they had taken three right turns, two lefts, walked past two water fountains, and skirted the stables where he could smell the manure and hear the whinny of the horses.

"Careful now," Jun said, and he stepped into what appeared to be a car, judging from the smell of the leather and the soft hum of the engine. Jun got in beside him, closed the door, and knocked on the glass window separating them from the driver. "You know where to go," she said.

The driver nodded; Ren could distinctly hear the crisp collar of his shirt crinkle with the movement of his head. The tone of the engine changed, and Ren knew they were moving.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"I can't tell you right now," Jun said.

He frowned. "Then when the hell _will_ you tell me?"

"When we get there," his sister answered. "Just trust me on this one, Ren."

"Hmph." But there was nothing he could do about it, and so he crossed his arms, leaned back, and allowed the artificial darkness of his blindness to melt into the natural darkness of sleep.

Tao Jun tried to keep her nervousness down and drew her thick coat more tightly about herself as she and Ren rode in the open cart. Straightening, she peered beyond the horse who was currently drawing the cart, barely able to distinguish the lights of the approaching village in the rapidly fading sunlight. After several hours of driving and then of flying, here they were finally in the northernmost region of China, perhaps the last place where true magic still existed.

Well, perhaps not the _last_ place. After all, her brother was a shaman, wasn't he? And she herself was a daoshi. She turned to look at Ren, who was currently sitting against the back of the cart, arms crossed. If he still had his eyes, they would have been closed, she knew.

Jun sighed and swallowed, again struggling to contain her uneasiness. She had a perfect right to be nervous—she had not been in this place for a long time, and she had nothing but bad memories of her time here. Still, if this was the place to help her brother, she was going to take him there.

Her brother's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "So now are you going to tell me where we're going?" he asked.

"To see a…" Jun paused. "A friend, I suppose."

"You suppose?"

Jun shrugged. "You'll see." When her brother did not reply, she suddenly realized her mistake. "Oh, Ren—"

"Forget it." And he turned away from her. She bit her lip and they rode together in silence for a few moments. It was not until they had reached the outskirts of the village that Jun spoke again.

"We're here," she said simply, and pulling on the reins she brought the horse to a stop.

"Where is 'here?'" Ren asked.

"You'll s—find out soon enough," Jun answered, slipping out of the cart, walking around, and helping her little brother down. "Stay close to me now," she said, taking his hand.

Ren cocked his head, sniffing at the air and tuning his ears to the sounds all around them. "This is a strange place," he said.

"Yes, indeed it is," Jun said. "Come along." She pulled him with her as they made their way into the village. It was just the way she remembered: the straw huts, the old wells, the primitive fires with the bare meat roasting over them. And then there were also the wards, the charms, the talismans that hung over every doorway—and they were not fakes, either, she knew.

It was the village of Heian, just as she remembered it—simple, primitive…and filled with dark magic.

Ren's voice echoed eerily in the darkness. "There are no people," he said. "I hear no voices."

"No, there are people here," Jun answered. "But they don't come out very often. At least not during the day."

"Why not?"

"They like darkness." And with that, Jun pulled him toward the tall hut now looming before them, the biggest one in the village, its walls decorated with strange spiraling inscriptions and covered with magical seals.

Ren straightened as they approached. "Jie, something's wrong," he said. "I feel…cold…"

"Don't worry," Jun said, trying and failing to sound brave. "I'm here. Nothing will happen to you." They passed through the open doorway and were immediately in a vast room that Jun remembered well. Walking slowly forward, she raised her head and said in a loud voice, "Emeng, show yourself."

Ren frowned. "Who's Emeng?"

"Why, she is me, of course." Jun looked up at the voice and watched as the darkness pulled away for a brief instant to reveal a hunched figure seated cross-legged before them. Instantly the two torches next to the figure lit aflame, and in the resulting light Jun could easily distinguish the worn, wrinkled yet somehow still malicious features of the old woman she remembered so well.

Emeng smiled. "Ah, Miss Jun," she said. Her voice was gravelly and raspy. "It was long time since I saw you, no?"

"Yes, it's been a long time, Emeng," Jun said.

Ren frowned. "Who the hell're you?" he demanded.

Emeng laughed, a strange croaking sound. "Ah, where the manners of the little one, Miss Jun?" she asked. "Impulsive, he is! Hee-hee!"

"Let's skip the small talk," Jun said. "I saved your life once, so you owe me a favor."

"Yes, yes, favor, yes," Emeng answered.

"Well, I'm holding you to that now," Jun said. "Do you have what I need?"

"Jie, what's going on?" Ren asked, utterly confused.

"Not now, Ren," Jun said, and then turned back to Emeng. "Well? Do you?"

"Ren," Emeng said. "Ren, his name is Ren, hee-hee-hee! Oh, and he does not see, hee-hee! Blind as a bat, he is! Blind, blind!"

Ren felt his anger surge at her words. "How dare you—" He started forward but was arrested by Jun's firm hand on his shoulder.

"Don't move," his sister said. "She's more dangerous than she looks…sounds."

"Dangerous?" Emeng said. "Dangerous, hee-hee! You think me dangerous? It is because I am witch, no? Dark witch? Makes me dangerous!" And she clapped her hands and laughed as if it was a compliment.

"Answer my question, Emeng," Jun said. "Do you have what I need?"

Emeng laughed again before nodding. "Yes, yes," she said, "What you need, I have what you need. After all, I owe you favor, no? Hee-hee-hee!" And then she raised her hand high above her head and snapped her fingers. Instantly there was a brilliant flash of light; Jun flinched, Ren did not move. Looking up, the daoshi now clearly saw the tall figure that stood quietly by Emeng's side. The torches flared, revealing the monstrous face of the demon, crouched on all fours, dark skin barely visible beneath his fur, teeth splaying haphazardly out of his mouth, golden eyes drooping as if he had been drugged.

Golden eyes.

Instantly Jun felt her anger rise. "Why you—I told you to find one with black eyes!" she cried.

Emeng only laughed. "Yes, yes," she said, "Black eyes, like the night. Black like Heian. I look, but I did not find. But gold just as good, no? Like cat, hee-hee-hee!"

Jun opened her mouth to answer, but Emeng interrupted her, continuing, "Yes, but that's not all! No, not all, hee-hee!" Her eyes took on a mischievous gleam. "You ask me for black eyes, I did not find. But I feel bad, I do, and so I find gold, and I find dark-seeing too. Now he really like cat, hee-hee!"

Jun gritted her teeth. "You were supposed to use a _human_," she hissed.

Emeng's expression hardened, and she did not laugh when she spoke. "Miss Jun," she said, "I owe you favor, yes, and I find the eyes for you, yes. Demon is animal-demon, yes, but you not like, after Emeng has looked so hard?"

"Demon?" Jun heard Ren say beside her. "What the hell does that mean?"

Jun did not answer him. She knew what a delicate situation they were in; she could only push Emeng so far, and so much was riding on this. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Yes, I like the demon, Emeng," she said. "And I appreciate what you've done for me."

Emeng smiled. "Now _that_ is good thank you, Miss Jun," she said, and then with a sudden flick of her wrist she severed the demon's head. Jun could not withhold a scream as the lifeless body fell to the ground and Emeng held up the head, the demon's golden eyes blank and staring. The witch grinned. "See, Emeng is happy now, hee-hee-hee!"

"Just what's going on here?" Ren demanded.

Before Jun could reply, Emeng spoke up. "Simple, simple matter, hee-hee!" she said. "Like sewing buttons onto shirt. It will be fun for Emeng, but maybe not for Ren, no?"

Ren stepped forward, clenching a fist. "You shut your mouth, old hag," he said.

To his surprise, the witch burst out laughing. "Ah, he has bad temper and no respect, hee-hee-hee!" she cried, her small body shaking with mirth. "Rather like demon, no? Hee-hee! And now he become like demon with the eyes too! Like demon child! Demon child, hee-hee-hee!"

"Huh?" Ren was completely confused. What did some obscure demon's eyes have to do with him?

Unless…

"Oh." He stumbled back a few steps, moaning in fear. "No. Don't."

Jun seized him by the shoulders, steadying him. "Don't worry, Ren," she said. "It'll only hurt for a bit."

He shook his head violently. "No, I don't want this!" he cried. "Jie, don't let her do it! Please!" He screamed and struggled furiously when he felt his sister reaching up to untie his blindfold. "_No—Jun, no!_" The blindfold came off, and that was when the pain came.

Ren's shriek of agony startled Jun so that she stumbled back, stunned, watching as her brother fell to the floor and began to writhe. The two empty sockets where his eyes had once been were now glowing a bright yellow and he was clawing at his face and screaming. Looking up, Jun saw that Emeng had risen to her feet and was holding the demon head in front of her. The eyes on the head were also glowing with the same yellow light, and over Ren's screams she could barely hear Emeng casting the spell in a powerful voice.

_Restore, restore!_

_An even trade._

_Light in dark, dark in light._

_An even trade._

_An even trade._

_You ask, I give._

_Light in dark, dark in light._

_Restore, restore!_

The light faded. The flaring torches faded. Ren's screams faded. And in the ensuing darkness Jun heard Emeng's voice float across the room to her. "It is done," she said. "You go now, Miss Jun, and take the demon child. I owe you favor, it is done. Emeng is happy, Miss Jun is happy, demon child is happy soon too. Hee-hee, demon child, hee-hee-hee!" Jun did not have to be asked twice. Reaching down, she gently took Ren up in her arms. He gave a sort of small sigh as if he was in the middle of a dream and hooked his arms around her neck as he always did when she carried him off to bed late at night. Looking down, she saw that his eyes were closed.

Wanting only to go home, she hurried out of the hut.

* * *

He did not feel thirsty anymore. Setting the bottle of milk aside, Tao Ren heaved a heavy sigh as he remembered. He had awoken the following afternoon and had been thoroughly stunned when he was nearly blinded by the bright sunlight seeping in through the window. Jun had come to him and explained what had happened, how the dark witch Emeng had summoned a dog demon from the depths of Hell, and how she had implanted his eyes. How everything was going to be all right now.

It was not until night had fallen that he realized just what he had become. A demon child, indeed.

"Ren." He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he had not even noticed Tao Jun when she entered the room, holding a candle in one hand. She looked at him with concern. "What're you doing up so late?"

"Thinking," Ren said simply, and then felt a sudden sting as he looked straight at the candle flame. "Jie, would you mind…?"

"Oh. Sorry." With one breath Jun extinguished the candle.

"Thanks."

There was a long silence as the two siblings simply stood there, enjoying each other's company. At long last, however, Jun spoke. "Do you want to tell me what you were thinking about?"

"Hm." Ren was careful to keep his voice steady. "You can probably guess."

It took Jun only a moment to realize. "Oh." She swallowed; even after all these years, it was still a rather delicate topic. "Ren—"

"Am I really a demon child, Jun?" The question startled her, and before she could answer her brother continued, "Will I really have to carry this…this curse with me for the rest of my life?"

It took Jun a moment to reply, but when she did so her voice was soft. "Having these eyes is better than being blind, in my opinion," she said.

"True." Again there was silence before finally Ren spoke. "Jie," he said, and paused. "I never…I don't think I ever thanked you…for what you did."

Jun was silent for a moment. "Does my action warrant gratitude?" she asked at last.

Ren shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "But I do know one thing. You're right—having these eyes is better than being blind. So…thank you."

Jun smiled then; he could see it clearly in the darkness. "Well, that's something new," she said. "Tao Ren actually humbling himself to someone. I think I'll call up the newspapers."

"Don't push it."

She laughed. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," she said. "Well…as long as you do me one little favor."

He looked up, frowning. "What kind of favor?"

She smiled. "Could you walk me back to my room, Didi?" she asked. "Without the candle, I can't see a bloody thing."

For a moment he simply stared at her, and then he laughed. He did not scoff, he did not snicker, he _laughed._ "Sure," he said, rising to his feet and taking her arm. "_Now_ who's the blind one?" And together they walked out of the room.

**FINI**

* * *

**Parting words: I'm thinking of writing a sequel for this fic. It probably won't be a one-shot, and will be perhaps light HoroRen shounen-ai. I'm not sure if it's even worth attempting though, so I'd appreciate some opinions. Thanks.**


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